Chongqing - A sea-rail intermodal train of the New International Land-sea Trade Corridor (ILSTC) recently departed from Qinzhou, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, carrying 100 containers of goods, including Indonesian shortening, Singaporean flour, and Cambodian fragrant rice, en route to Chongqing, Southwest China.
Up to now, the ILSTC has seen a surge in activity, with over 9,000 trains in operation, surpassing the yearly goal 20 days earlier than planned.
Launched in 2017, the new corridor is a trade and logistics passage jointly built by provincial-level regions in western China and ASEAN countries. It is also one of the key projects under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which China proposed.
Trade and investment often follow closely on the heels of infrastructure connectivity. More companies, especially those in western China, are expanding their footprints in overseas markets amid tailwinds from facilitated transportation.
"Stability in our product supply chain is crucial," said a regional foreign trade firm. "We've been utilizing the ILSTC since 2019. While the logistics costs are comparable to the previous river-sea transport methods, it slashes about 10-20 days off the total transit time."
To date, the ILSTC's logistics network spans 18 provinces, 70 cities, and 144 stations, fully covering 12 locations in China's western region. The network has expanded by 31 service stations since 2022.
ILSTC train operations exceed 9,000 in 2023. (Photo/ILSTC)
The latest statistics also reflect the significant growth of the ILSTC sea-rail intermodal trains, which has seen an 8% increase year-on-year. The total number of operating trains is expected to climb beyond 9,300 in 2023, starkly contrasting to 178 trains in 2017.
This expansion is partially attributed to the Guangxi Beibu Gulf Port Group's port infrastructure and logistics enhancements. The Beibu Gulf Port can accommodate the world's largest 200,000-ton container ships. Compared to traditional terminals, these automated terminals boost operational efficiency by about 30% while reducing the need for operating personnel by 90%.
Furthermore, improvements in customs clearance, reshipment, loading, unloading, and operations have significantly enhanced the overall service capabilities of the ILSTC.
In the first half of this year, the total customs clearance time for imports and exports at Qinzhou Port was notably reduced to 41.85 hours and 1.37 hours, respectively. This is a dramatic decrease of 84.35% and 96.46% compared to 2017.